Page Two: Aug. 8-14; In Iraq, Violence And Uneasy Calm

By Sabrina Tavernise

Published: August 15, 2004

FOR much of the week, fighting raged between the militia of the rebel Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr and American and Iraqi forces in Najaf, in southern Iraq. Fighting was also reported in Sadr City, the Baghdad slum, and the Shiite towns of Diwaniya, Kut, Al-Hayy, Nasiriya, Amara and Basra.

The violence began early this month, after Mr. Sadr's militia, the Mahdi army, attacked a Najaf police station, prompting the local authorities to ask for assistance, American military commanders said.

It was the second time this year that Mr. Sadr's fighters have battled the Americans in Najaf. The first time was in the spring, when the fighting lasted for three months, as the Americans maneuvered carefully against Mr. Sadr, who operated out of the city's cemetery and the Imam Ali shrine, both sacred to Shiites. In June, a cease-fire was reached that left Mr. Sadr and his fighters ensconced in the center of the city.

Now as then, American military commanders -- and the new Iraqi government -- face the problem of how, or whether, to oust Mr. Sadr, who has warned of the political consequences if the Americans were to damage Najaf's holy sites. The threat of such damage has caused large Shiite demonstrations elsewhere in Iraq and in Iran.

On Thursday, American commanders in Najaf, a city of 500,000, reluctantly agreed to suspend operations and cordoned off the city center. This came just days after the new Iraqi prime minister, Ayad Allawi, flew into Najaf on an American military helicopter and said there would be ''no negotiations or truce.''

On Friday, however, Mr. Allawi sent a representative to Najaf to discuss a cease-fire. As of Friday night, the city was quiet as the talks continued. Sabrina Tavernise